Mentor
by Duxbelli
Summary: Alanna and the gang are called on by the goddess to live a second life and mentor some younger versions of them without giving themselves away. Little do they know the gods are cooking up a mess of trouble. I do not own the Song of the Lioness Quartet etc
1. Gods

"You are always ordering me around. Why can't you just leave me in peace? That's what the peaceful realms are suppose to be! Peaceful!" Alanna yelled, red faced.

Jonathon chuckled "I - " he was cut off by a shimmering presence. They could feel the weight of the god appearing before them in their bones. With a pop, the Great Mother appeared.

"My children, must you always fight?" She asked with a slightly raised brow. Her eyes glittered mischievously as her brother, Mithros, appeared at her side. Mithros held a spear with an obsidian point. On his left arm was a round bronze shield that shone brilliantly. He swept the hand with the spear around and suddenly they were in a familiar room.

They were not alone thought. Aly and Nawat stood to left, while Daine and Numair sat in chairs to their right with Daine's parents. George stood next to Alanna with Kyprioth and Thayet stood next to Jon. Keladry and Domitan stood by Gary, Raul, and Buri. In the center the room stood a young, dark haired boy.

"Is that... Jonathon as a page?" Alanna asked. The boy didn't be able to see or hear them. He seemed to be sparring with an invisible partner.

It was true, the boy had Jonathon's coal black hair, sapphire eyes, and stubborn chin. The main difference in appearance was that he was short, far shorter than Jon was when he was a page.

"No this is King Jonathon IX. His father, King Jasson, died 2 hours ago in a war and he is yet to have been informed; but that is the least of our problems. Years ago female warriors were outlawed. Alanna's descendant" the goddess waved her hand and the boy's sparring partner appeared "has disguised herself as a boy to, well, you know the story. The boy was supposed to do as Jonathon did and reinstated female knighthood, but his father..." She trailed off.

Mithros picked up the monologue "His father dying complicates things considerably. He needs a mentor, and this will come in the form of" he coughed, hiding a grin with his hand "'Sir Jonathon', 'Sir Alan', Sir Raul, and Sir Gareth, their new teachers. Another page has a large amount of wild magic, Daine will need to befriend him. Numair is the new Gift teacher, Arram Draper. Domitan and Keladry are to help George secure the title of Rogue. Thayet and Buri are to stir up some trouble at court."

Alanna looked at the tall page who was her descendant. The page had curly red hair and violet eyes, just like Alanna.

"Pray tell me how we are to secure these positions?" Alanna said. Jon kicked her 'Respect the gods' he military hand signed.

"What about us?" Nawat asked Mithros with a bow. His spirit appeared older than everyone else because he had adopted Kyprioth's look.

The gods grinned, "Aly and Nawat are the new twin pages." they said in unison. Aly and Nawat seemed none to pleased with this by they kept mouths shut. Arguing with gods didn't seem like a bright idea.

Alanna had no such reservations though. "I'll not be pretending to be a guy again." She said, a diplomatically bland expression on her face.

"You will if I say you will!" Mithros roared. The goddess put a hand on his shoulder. He quieted.

"I think you will enjoy this, and to answer your earlier question Alanna, we took care of everything." The goddess flashed a row of perfect teeth and all five gods were gone.

Suddenly everything went black.


	2. Lightning

Alanna awoke with a raging headache. What had happened? She looked around. She lay on the floor of an inn similar to the Dancing Dove. She surveyed the room's occupants.

Everyone seemed to have been thrown on the floor like rag dolls. Alanna stifled a giggle at the skinny ten year old that was apparently Nawat. Aly lay beside him and Alanna felt a surge of guilt. She had been gone from Pirates Swoop Aly's entire tenth year. The knight had come back to her worried daughter and husband bloody and unconscious on a stretcher.

She stood up with a groan. Touching the back of her head where it hurt she felt her cropped hair. She gasped and felt a familiar tightness around her chest. She looked down her shirt to see a corset similar to the one ruined in her duel with Roger.

She turned when she heard two groans behind her. Jonathon and George were sitting up, softly cursing. The two men started when they saw Alanna. The small knight looked terrified.

"Lass, what happened? Why've I got this blasted head ache?" George said, clutching his head. Jon nodded his thanks when Alanna got rid of his headache after George's with her Gift. She quickly explained that the gods had dumped them in the Dancing Dove.

"Alanna, sword...your...Lightning." Jon managed to squeak out when he beheld what was strapped to her waist. Alanna looked at the sword. It was indeed Lightning.

Alanna drew the blade reverently. This wasn't the half Lightning – half gray sword she had made when Lightning was sheared in half. This was pure Lightning, her blade.


	3. Aly and Nawat

Slowly everyone woke up and seated themselves around the Rogue's table at the head of the room. At the head of the table presided Jon and Alanna. Everyone was clamoring to make themselves heard. Aly and Nawat were looking at each other in amazement. Nawat was eying his new red black hair with distaste. Aly was looking at her mother.

Alanna appeared just over 20. Aly had never seen her mother as the vibrant young woman she saw now (cropped hair and flat chest exempted). Alanna kept glancing in her direction, a muffled kind of guilt in her eyes.

Aly had never seen all these adults she had grown up knowing as the vivacious 20-year-old they were now and Numair! He was all arms and legs and resembled a stork with none of the grace of the water bird.

Thayet and Jonathon were another thing all together. She had seen portraits of them as a couple but mere paint couldn't capture the love in their eyes when they looked at each other of the carefully contained humor in their eyes.

"Stop!" Jonathon says, projecting his voice through the empty inn. Everyone fell silent.


	4. Deaths

Jon would never admit it but this quest had excited him. He knew he had made some mistakes in his life and he could keep this boy from repeating his. But that wasn't the only reason, he wanted to be a knight for once, not the prince, not the king, just Sir Jonathon.

Next to him Alanna was having similar ideas. She hadn't tired of being the Lioness, but she had tired of being the bane of Court. She always had wondered what would her life have been like had she actually been "Sir Alan".

She had some inkling of the Gods' plan and why they had used so many female warriors instead of male knights.

_Alanna sat in the audience chamber of Pirates Swoop. It wasn't actually Pirates Swoop, just a place that looked like it in the peaceful realms. As a "hero in life" Alanna was granted most everything she wanted in the afterlife._

_ In Alanna's hands was a piece of rope, about a foot long. She did and undid every knot she could think of. It was a habit she had picked up from Nawat. Whenever she was stressed she would sit for hours with this rope. She could think better when she was doing something with her hands and sword drills got old after a couple hundred years._

_ She looked up as someone walked in the hall. The cloaked figure drew closer with long, unearthly, floating steps. The power that radiated from the figure permeated the entire hall. Alanna felt steeped in magic, her nose itched._

_ The figure walked up to the dais and removed its cloak._

_********************************************************************************** _Jon was scared. He shouldn't be, but he was. The stairs seemed to drop away in his vision. He was on the cliff again.

_The cliff dropped away steeply. The rain came down, soaking Jon to the bone. Darklick slipped and Jon fell to the mud. The horse reared and Jon backed away, tripping over his own feet. Suddenly he was falling..._

"Jon! Jon!" Alanna was shaking him. Why was she shaking him? He had fallen...

"Jon! Come back!" Alanna said tearfully. Jon opened his eyes and slowly his vision cleared. He was lying on the top step of the stairs to the common room. Alanna's violet eyes were inches from his own. His head was in her lap and her gold edged violet Gift surrounded him and panic began to calm.

He tried to lift his head but painful cramps held his entire body rigid. Slowly the pain subsided, his muscles loosened and he slowly sat up.

Alanna tried not to show haw worried she was. She had noticed he had hesitated when going up the stairs but she hadn't thought about at the time. When she had calmed his panic she had touched on his conscience thought accidentally and felt him think "I had fallen..". She decided not to pushed him for an answer. He would tell her or Thayet eventually. She was still worried though.

*********************************************************************************** Raoul was trembling. The guilt of Alanna's death hung on him like lead chain mail. Seeing Alanna alive and healthy with George had affected him like seeing her in the Peaceful Realms never had. The guilt he felt was like he had murdered her. He packed his new saddlebags with the new clothes he had just bought in the last week.

He grunted as he lifted the full saddlebags onto his new horse, Peony. The royal summons from the regents Henri and Kathryn of Corus for Sir Raoul, Sir Gareth, Sir Alan, and Sir Jonathon had arrived that morning. Everyone had said goodbye above the din of the full inn.

They were ready to go. They set off, atlernatly joking and sitting in silence as they plodded up Market, then Palace, Way.

Aly and Nawat were sent ahead under the aliases Alex and Nathan. They had been summoned by the Training Master, no name, just the Training Master.

Before Raoul knew it, they were at the palace entrance. A sergeant in the Palace Watch took their bags an summoned a servant boy to take them to the Training Master's office. The servant motioned for them to make themselves comfortable when they arrived. Raoul noticed he hadn't said anything walking to the office and the extra effort it took him to swallow. The boy bowed silently before leaving. Raoul noticed he had hadn't said a word the entire time and the extra effort it took for him to swallow.

"Well, my teacher have finally arrived." said a voice from the doorway. Everyone jumped to their feet and spun around. An attractive young man stood there. His brown eyes surveyed th room, his wide mouth set. His light brown hair was slightly long and slicked back. His chin was squared with a bit of a cleft to it.

Everyone stared in astonishment. This couldn't be who they though it was. The man closed the door before bowing low to Jon and walking to his desk.

"Wyldon of Cavall?" Raoul said tentively. The man nodded, a smirk on his face.

"Nathaniel of Gorse now, training master to pages and squires. I already set up your posts. Sir Gareth is the math instructor, Sir Raoul the physical training instructor, Sir Jonathon the history instructor, Sir Alan" he brought his hand up to hide a smirk "the fencing and ethics instructor. Mithros told me in a dream last night I am to tell you the full story of the political situation. Well here it is:"

Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.


	5. Luparch

**Sorry about the wait. I kept writing the story but I kept forgetting to type it up and upload it. Disclaimer: If I was Tamora Pierce this story would be so much better than it is. Reviews are appreciated.**

Jon was at a loss for words. He apparently needed to pick up where the last teacher left of: just before King Roald the Peacemaker's death.

He wished Thayet was with him, but no, she was in their suite. He sat on a stool at the front of his new classroom. The stool looked old enough for Myles to have sat on it when Jon was a page.

Slowly the pages began to file in. At the back of the line were two boys, one with reddish black hair and another with reddish blond hair. The strawberry blond boy winked at Jon so fast he wasn't sure if he had.

A coppery red haired boy was joking with the boy that was Jon's descendent. _The King_, Jon thought.

"Now, my name is Sir Jonathon. I am your history teacher. I do not know your names so you have to formally introduce yourselves." Jon said, noting the groans.

" I am Prince Jonathon of Conte." the small boy stood and bowed. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that Jon had only seen in George's before. Jon wondered as to why the boy hod introduced himself as prince, and then bowed. He had no doubt this had something to do with the trickster.

"Sir, Alan of Pi – Pi – Pirates Sw – Swoop, Sir." the tall red haired child stood. He had an awful stammer. Jon wondered if it was always there or if it was speaking in front of others.

The boy nest to the prince was tall and built like a boxer. He introduced himself as Matthias of Nond. His shaggy head of hair and rumpled appearance reminded Jon of Myles. The next boy had Matthias as a sponsor. He introduced himself as Alex of Gorse and his tall companion was his brother, Nathan of Gorse.

After those boys it was blur of names and fiefs. Jon had trouble concentrating on the onslaught of names. After everyone had introduced themselves Jon began his teaching.

"King Roald the Peacemaker was reknown for establishing peace after King Jasson's conquests." everyone looked at him enraptured "When his Queen, Lianne, died he was heartbroken. His son, Prince Jonathon of Conte, began to be his unofficial regent. Some weeks later the King was on a hunting expedition and tried to jump a gorge. His horse fell short." His voice cracked "Prince Jonathon was to be crowned a few months later so he sent for his best friend. Does anyone know who that was?"Jon looked at Alan " Do you know who it is, Alan?" the page shook his head " Alanna the Lioness was best friend to both Jonathon IV of Conte and Thayet I of Conte." when he saw their confused faces he sighed " Were you ever told of Alanna the Lioness?" they shook their heads. He expected as much. "Keladry of Mindelan? Thayet of conte? Alianne of Pirates Swoop? Burrikam Tourikam? Veralidaine Sarrasri?" the pages shook their heads at each name.

"What have they been teaching you?" Jon roared. The door opened and in walked Gary. His muscles bulged against his tunic and he towered over all the students.

"Jon. I can hear you ranting about their lack of knowledge of female warriors down the hall. Rant quieter." Gary said before closing the door and leaving.

Alanna was astounded by the lack of skill the pages showed in fencing.

"Fencing is an art." She lectured. "The sword is an extension of your arm. It will never leave your side. You eat, sleep, study, and study some more with your sword. Now, who is the best fencer in the class?" A tall red head was pushed to the front. The page's violet eyes widened in surprise when he noticed Alanna's own violet gaze.

"Guard up!" Alanna circled him like a cat. She watched every move he made, every twitch told her something.

_Enough of the theatrics_, Alanna thought and struck. Instead of being on the defensive as Alanna expected the page lunged back, twisting his blade so as to disarm her. Alanna held tight and did something no one of the time had ever did anymore, she hit the boy's hand with the pommel of Lightning. Not to hard, just hard enough for him to drop his blade.

The page dropped his sword in surprise. The doors flew open and in walked Jon in full battle armor.

"Ala – n! Every man fit for duty is to report to the parade ground by order of the King's Champion! Come on!" The doors slammed shut behind Jon as Alanna ran towards the doors.

Alanna ran straight to her room and grabbed her armor. But her gold washed armor she received for her 18th birthday.

She raced to the stables picking up a blank shield from the armory along the way. The horse she had been given by the Goddess was pure white, a calm stallion. Scratched onto the tack and saddle was the name Helios.

Alanna mounted the horse when it was brought out by hostler. Jon walked up at that second.

When the new fencing instructor ran out of the indoor practice court Jonathon Began to worry. When a serving man came and told the third and fourth year pages to pack and suit up he realized what was happening. An emergency Call to Arms.

An emergency Call to Arms. Only happened if the army has be pushed back past their own border, if an enemy was approaching the capitol or if a high ranking courtier was convicted of treason.. Jonathon refused to think of the other reason his adoptive uncle would issue an emergency Call to Arms. The king would have to die in the war.

Jon and Gary rode to the parade ground. Upon arrival they noticed the coppery hair over the gold washed mail immediately. Gary broke into a gallop an caught up with Alanna.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gary hissed. He was seething. Alanna was going to give them all away, and something just didn't seem right in the palace. He wanted to find out what.

"Relax, I cast an illusion so that you see the gold armor only if you know my true identity." Alanna said, not looking at him. She was surveying the lines of knights she had joined.

Alanna kept glancing to the back of the parade of shields. Gary looked and he saw the squires and older pages lined up with Prince Jonathon at the head upon a chestnut gelding. Gary looked disapprovingly upon the wicked looking spurs the prince was fingering nervously. The prince's face was pale and he was chewing his bottom lip.

Gary wished fervently that he could reassure the prince.

Alan saw her prince begin his tedium of nervous idiosyncrasies. She rode her gelding forward until it nudged the boy's leg. The prince looked back, startled.

"Henri said I will command the pages and unchosen squires as we ride to Sarain. What if they don't listen to me? What if I'm not a good leader? What if-" he was cut off by Alan drawing her sword and beckoning his three other lieutenants, Nathan, Alex, and Matthias. They quickly dismounted, drew their own swords, touching the pommels to their foreheads and, sword points to the ground, saying,"Our lives and swords are yours, Highness. Should it be day or night, dawn or dusk, our allegiance is yours, and our lives are yours to take or let thrive. Please accept our tribute of allegiance and let us stand by your side as your Knight Paladins."

Jonathon heard a voice in his ear whispering, "Repeat after me. Rise Dux Belli, and show your tribute for the people's approval." Jonathon dutifully repeated, only letting his voice crack once.

"Your highness,our tribute is a magical means of protection. A companion of sorts, that is an animal that embodies your personality completely. If I may, I will call yours using your own Gift, so it may be bonded to you." Matthias said. The prince nodded and Matthias took his hand and spoke one word, "Venis."

Out of the Royal Forest came the sound of running feet. A man yelled and the prince turned to see a wolf running towards him. This wasn't an ordinary wolf those, this wolf was a s large as a small horse and it's fur blue-black.

The wolf ran right up to look the prince in the eye.

:I choose and bond to you.: The prince heard in his mind. Slowly but surely his mind melded with the beast's and he could feel Luparch's reassuring presence in the back of his mind.

_Luparch? Where did I get that name?_ Jonathon thought.

:From me: he heard the deep, masculine voice again and he knew it was the wolf. Luparch slowly inclined his great head and a roar filled Jonathon's ears. It took Jonathon a second to realize that was the crowd roaring with approval.


End file.
